Education is no longer just paper and pens, chalkboards, or textbooks. Technology provides new opportunities for learning to be adjusted to meet the needs of all, no matter what the learning styles. Technology even makes the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy in curriculum planning easier, allowing teachers to develop “more depth and learning-style differentiations” (Kuhn, 2008) Matt Kuhn’s article ‘Connecting Depth and Balance in Class” provides multiple examples of how digital tools are being used in lessons that span learning styles and intelligences.
It is very important to consider how digital tools will be used to foster learning. During COVID, I watched as my son’s college classes transitioned from in-person lectures to online. Nothing changed about the content or the pace of the course. The same materials and tests that would have been used in the classroom were posted to the learning management system. The one component that kept my son engaged – classroom discussion – was no longer available. As a result, my son became disheartened with classes, and I struggled with encouraging him as I also felt that more could be done. Reading “A Rich Seam” (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014), I was introduced to new pedagogies which are complex and bring effective change in deep learning outcomes. Learning partnerships form between the students and teachers as well as among students. Teachers learn with the students instead of merely facilitating a lesson. As the mentor relationship grows, teachers can help students identify their aspirations and guide them in pursuing goals. I reflected on how my son’s experience could have been improved with different tools. What if his Bible course required the students to create a map of the areas discussed in select chapters? How would my son respond to creating a short video or blogging about his accounting project? Multiple opportunities existed to draw the student in, allowing for both student learning and student teaching. These same opportunities could also enhance the traditional in-person lecture.
How do we ensure that new technologies are adopted? In reading “The Adoption Process” (Rogers, 1963), relative advantage and divisibility are two characteristics that struck home with me. Relative advantage “refers to the degree to which an innovation is superior to ideas it supersedes.” New pedagogies allow for students to not only learn information but to also learn to use the information in real world settings. Therefore, technologies which promote real world learning is superior to memorizing information for a multiple-choice quiz. Looking back to my son’s COVID experience, I see how much more could be done to enhance his learning. The accounting project could mirror a bookkeeper’s job. The Bible course could include a travel report to select areas: what airports to use, means of transportation in the country, places to visit.
Divisibility also plays a role in the adoption of new technologies. Educators tend to be innovators, always looking for a better way to spark interest. However, due to time constraints, they may be hesitant to jump in with both feet and instead look for smaller, more manageable implementations. Even the smallest use of technologies can bring great impact if used properly.
Not only should new technologies be utilized, but students and teachers should be competent in digital and media literacy and digital citizenship. The article “Empowering Learners with Digital and Media Literacy” (Hobbs, 2011) stresses the need for a community education movement to generate ensure users develop life-long skills. It also outlines three recommendations from the Knight Commission and provides insight on some of the challenges when bringing about digital and media literacy. Hobbs encourages the use of technology to promote critical thinking, learning to judge the credibility of information, and including news and current events in the classroom. With the use of technology in education and with heightened digital literacy, students can increase their learning exponentially and better prepare for the world beyond the classroom.
References
Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A rich seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning. London: Pearson. Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/global/Files/about-pearson/innovation/open-ideas/ARichSeamEnglish.pdf
Hobbs, R. (2011). Empowering learners with digital and media literacy. Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 12-17. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Kuhn, M. S. (2008). Connecting depth and balance in class. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(1), 18-21. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Rogers, E. M. (1963). The adoption process II. Journal of Cooperative Extension, 1(2), 69-75. Retrieved from https://archives.joe.org/joe/1963summer/1963-2-a2.pdf
Tori, you stepped on my toes a bit here. During COVID quarantine, we were thrust into online learning with no training and no time to think about how to transition effectively. We went home on a Friday and had to have lessons posted the following Monday. I must admit that I too was guilty of using the same classroom materials and methods, just delivering them through an online format. That was exhausting on my part, spending hours recording videos of notes and transferring assignments to a digital format. Your post about your son missing the classroom discussions that kept him engaged really struck a chord with me. I had so many activities that worked well in class but I was just at a loss as to how to do adapt them with kids being quarantined. With just a little research, I could have found tools like Flipgrid that are so easy for students to use to continue that discussion component of class. I really could have handled that transition much better and provided students with ways to stay engaged. I'm working on finding ways to transition those engaging activities from in-person instruction as part of the online component of my class. I will say that it is much easier now that all of my students have Chromebooks. Being able to teach them how to use the technology to work collaboratively in class has helped. Now when random students are quarantined, they can still be engaged and participate as if they were in class.
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